News Photo by Alyssa Ochss Margie Haaxma sits in her office at Banner Realty last week.

ALPENA — Banner Realty has been open since Jan. 8, 1990 and during its 32 years of operation, it’s given back to the community guided by their faith.

Margie Haaxma, owner of Banner Realty, said a verse from The Song of Solomon 2:4 gave the business its foundation as well as its name.

“‘His banner over us is love,'” Haaxma said. “And we have felt that love from the community from the customers we that we’ve had over the years and from the staff that we’ve had here at Banner Realty, so it’s been a really faith oriented base company and we are very thankful for all the things that we’ve been blessed with that we could be blessing to other people.”

As a team, Banner Realty has given to many local organizations including Habitat for Humanity, Friends Together, and Sunrise Side Mission. Haaxma said they’ve “taken part off the top of our commission funds that we have designated to be a blessing for the people that are in our community.”

Haaxma referenced something God said to Abraham while discussing how she feels about the help she and Banner Realty give to the community. She said what God said to Abraham was “I’m going to bless you that you might be a blessing and as many stars that are in the sky and the sand on the seashore.”

“So I feel like I’m one of those little pebbles of sand that we want to be a blessing as a company to other people and we try to work that out in a couple different ways besides serving the best that we can and integrity and honesty,” Haaxma said.

Haaxma said Banner Realty has given out blessings every year. The first year, the business brought gifts and checks to different organizations for Christmas.

“We delivered them, we sang songs to them, we had a Santa hat on, and it was just a really nice way of touching base and we did that to each one of the different organizations that were helping being a blessing in the community,” Haaxma said.

Along with supporting various organizations, Haaxma and the Banner Realty team hold a Valentine’s Day dinner every year for the executive directors of the organizations.

Haaxma said attendees really enjoy it because it gives them a chance to network as well as enjoy a dinner. She also said Banner Realty gives the organizations equal amounts of the money they’ve saved over the year.

“That’s one of the things that we’ve done over the years to just give back and to be a part of the worldwide caring and giving for our neighbors it’s made our community better because we have organizations such as those to help out to feed to clothe the people that don’t have clothing to give shelter to welcome the strangers and so we feel that’s part of our role, part of our inner heart duty to be a blessing to other people,” Haaxma said.

When Banner Realty reached its 30th anniversary as a business, Haaxma said it gave special donations to people and organizations. The money was used for something special each of the organizations could not afford, Haaxma said. For example, it gave money for a car for Friends Together.

Part of what inspired Haaxma to get involved in her community were her church and her parents. Her dad owned a motel on State Avenue and her parents were people that wanted to give back, she said.

Haaxma also has a background in human services and she’s also served on boards.

“It started when I was in church, when I was really young, I studied the bible for two years and when it came to Abraham and God said you are blessed to be a blessing I’ve carried that theme throughout my heart and my life,” Haaxma said.

She believes we are blessed as Americans, mothers, grandmas, and leaders of offices and businesses. Haaxma said the siblings who were most affected by her parents’ good deeds are the ones that have a personal relationship with Jesus.

“Jesus says if you do it onto the least of these, my brother, you’ve done it on to me,” Haaxma said. “And we who know Jesus take that very seriously and want to give back wherever we can.”

Difference Makers is a weekly series that profiles Northeast Michigan residents who do extraordinary things to improve their communities and the lives of others in ways that include volunteering and their professional work.

If you know a local difference maker, please contact Alyssa Ochss at 989-358-5680 or aochss@thealpenanews.com.